Recently Stuttgart homeowners and businesses have seen an unprecedented number of burglaries, robberies, home invasions and other crimes within our fine city. Many of these homes and stores are located on main thoroughfares — Park Avenue, West 22nd, East Michigan and even Main St. All of these crimes taking place in a city with a population under 10,000.

Some of these crimes are occurring between the hours of 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. but many are occurring between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. The question has to be asked where are the SPD officers sworn to serve and to protect during these hours. On Jan. 24, 2012 a home was burglarized and everything the homeowner had of value was stolen. This particular burglary occurred in broad daylight.

Again the question has to asked where are the Stuttgart Police Department officers who are sworn to serve and protect at? A business on Park Avenue held up by lone gunman before 10 p.m. and an officer arrived after the fact. We need officers with the department who for once would catch some of these criminals in their criminal activity, but this will never happen if they are not patrolling the streets of Stuttgart.

Recently I was in the Honorable Judge J.W. Green's courtroom, and it appeared to me every patrol officer on duty was in the courtroom leaving the city wide open for criminals. Meanwhile the detectives and the assistant chief stayed in their offices instead of being out on the beat. A town the size of Stuttgart needs administrators and detectives to come out of their comfort zones to patrol our town to help keep our elderly, women and children safe.

The Stuttgart Police Department does not need need a chief and assistant chief working days leaving the department in youthful hands. The assistant chief needs to be on night duty and weekends supervising the patrol officers to ensure they are patrolling the crime ridden streets of Stuttgart and not parked at home or some place else listening to the scanner waiting on a call. It's apparent the sergeants are not fulfilling their duties.

Therefore I believe every cruiser within the Stuttgart Police Department should be equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS)

to ensure every officer sworn to serve and to protect is indeed on the beat and not at home waiting on a call. We need administrators willing to step up and fulfill their oaths.

Most of these crimes have occurred when the department was in full capacity, and our community still was not safe. Currently the Stuttgart Police Department is understaffed. I believe the Arkansas County Sheriff's Department (one of the best in the state) should communicate with the quorum court and Chief Mike Smith to put more deputies on the crime ridden streets of Stuttgart, because criminals don't work 8-5 or take weekends off. Therefore I believe if these two agencies work together as one our elderly, women and children will once again feel safe in Stuttgart aka Sugartown.